Teachers and students warn: AI is eroding engagement

AI use in schools is weakening the connection between students and teachers by permitting students to bypass genuine effort through shortcuts.
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A student from San Jose and an English teacher in Chicago co-authored a Boston Globe opinion warning that widespread use of AI in schools damages the vital student-teacher bond.

While marketed as efficiency boosters, AI tools encourage students to forgo independent thinking.

Many simply generate entire assignments via AI, reformat the text to avoid detection, and undermine honest academic interaction.

Educators report feeling increasingly marginalised as AI handles much of their workload, including grading, lesson planning, and feedback within classrooms.

Though schools and tech companies promote these tools as educational enhancements, many schools have eroded trust, as teachers struggle to assess real student ability.

The authors call for a return to supervised in-class assignments, using pen and paper, strict scrutiny of AI vendors in education, and outright bans on unsupervised AI classroom tools to help reset the learning relationship.

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